Jessica Esquivel

Hometown: McAllen, Texas

@DrEequivelPhD

I’m a: physicist

My research: I study the choreography of a particle called the muon, which dances in a magnetic field. In the wonky quantum realm, there is this weird quantum foam where virtual particles pop in and out of existence --similar to soda fizz that bubbles to the surface--and dances with our muons. We have a pretty good idea of how these muons will dance and what virtual particles or "dance partners" will pop in and out, however, there’s a chance we’re wrong! By measuring how the muon choreography changes, we can peer into the unknown and potentially discover new physics!

What do you typically eat for breakfast? a greek yogurt bowl with granola and whatever fruit is in season during the week; potato hash filled with veggies on weekends

What is your favorite snack or candy? peaches and cottage cheese; don’t knock it until you try it!

What is your favorite spice? smoked paprika

What is one food you absolutely dislike? eggs

What is one of your favorite dishes? Pasta, because you can make it 100 different ways with 1,000 different ingredients! I also love that depending on the sauce, there is a perfect pasta to cradle it!

My 4 dream scientist dinner companions:

Annie Easley
Shirley Ann Jackson
Roger Arliner Young
Josephine Silone Yates